Plot
Based on true events, Woman Walks Ahead tells the story of Catherine Weldon (Jessica Chastain), a widowed artist from New York who, in the 1880s, traveled alone to North Dakota to paint a portrait of Chief Sitting Bull (Michael Greyeyes). Her arrival at Standing Rock is met with open hostility by a US Army officer (Sam Rockwell), who has stationed troops around the Lakota reservation to undermine Native American claims to the land. As Catherine and Sitting Bull grow closer, and as their friendship — and his life — are threatened by government forces, Catherine must stand up and fight for what is most important to her.

My Thoughts
Fifteen minutes into this I almost turned it off due to its glacial pacing, but I’m glad I stuck with it because it got better as it went along. One of my biggest gripes is Chastain’s accent, which was horrendous and inconsistent throughout the movie. In fact, this may be her worst performance to date—not that it’s bad, per se, it’s just that she usually nails each role she’s in so good that you get absorbed in her characters. Sadly, the accent is distracting to what is otherwise a very interesting tale about Chief Sitting Bull. The story takes an unexpected turn in the third act that reveals key characters hidden agendas and I like the subtlety displayed by the writer and the director. Unfortunately, the ending doesn’t truly match up with history, but it comes close enough and I understand the dramatic license that was taken.

Video 4.5/5 (AVC)

Audio 4/5 (DTS-HD MA 5.1)

Special Features:

Deleted Scenes

A “Making of Story” with Director Susanna White

Audio Commentary with Director Susanna White

Digital Copy

Conclusion
Chastain’s performance wasn’t up to her usual standards, but if you can make it through the first act the payoff is worth the time investment—especially if you like historical dramas. The presentation is excellent, especially the video quality that features some reference-quality scenes. Put it in your Netflix queue or find it at your local Redbox.

Plot
In “Avengers: Infinity War,” members from every MCU franchise must sacrifice like never before in an attempt to defeat the powerful Thanos before his blitz of devastation and ruin puts an end to the universe. The film stars Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/The Hulk, Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America, Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Don Cheadle as Colonel James Rhodes/War Machine, Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa/Black Panther, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Paul Bettany as Vision, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Falcon, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, Idris Elba as Heimdall, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Peter Dinklage as Eitri, Benedict Wong as Wong, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Dave Bautista as Drax, featuring Vin Diesel as Groot, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, with Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, with Benicio Del Toro as The Collector, with Josh Brolin as Thanos, and Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord.

My Thoughts
I enjoyed seeing this in the theater and eagerly anticipated its release on UHD since it’s a movie that begs to be watched more than once because of the nonstop action from start to finish. As expected, a second time through was even more enjoyable than the first because I could take in more of the subtleties. There are a plethora of characters involved, but the overarching story revolves around Tony Stark and his desire to save the world. The villain actually is trying to save it too, but by a completely different way—killing one-half of the Universe’s population to eliminate overcrowding and hunger. Noble—maybe, crazy—absolutely!

Fortunately, the UHD presentation is off the charts. As usual with Disney UHD titles, the audio is recorded too low—although this time only by 4dB, which is much better than the 10dB found on other A-list titles from the House of Mouse. Furthermore, the bass track is consistently good from beginning to end, something that couldn’t be said for any of the other Avengers movies. One area where Disney excels is with their video quality, and this is definitely a reference presentation. The WCG is put to great use and is a big upgrade over the stellar-looking Blu-ray.

Video 9.5/10 (MVC)

Audio 9.5/10 (Dolby Atmos)

Special Features:

Strange Alchemy (5:08)– Share the thrill of characters from across the MCU meeting for the first time—and discover why some were teamed up together.

The Mad Titan (6:34) – Explore the MCU’s biggest, baddest villain, his trail of influence through the stories, and the existential threat he represents.

Beyond the Battle: Titan (9:36) – Dive into the climactic struggle on Thanos’ ruined world, including the epic stunts and VFX, to uncover the source of its power.

Beyond the Battle: Wakanda (10:58) – Go behind the scenes to find out how the filmmakers pulled off the most massive and challenging battle Marvel had ever attempted.

Deleted and Extended Scenes (10:07)

Happy Knows Best (1:23) – Tony and Pepper spar over the details of their upcoming wedding—until a hassled Happy Hogan pulls up with an urgent request.

Hunt for the Mind Stone (1:24) – On a darkened street, Wanda Maximoff and the wounded Vision attempt to hide from Thanos’ brutal allies.

The Guardians Get Their Groove Back (3:20) – As Peter Quill and Drax quarrel over their failed mission to Knowhere, Mantis interrupts with news.

A Father’s Choice (4:00) – Thanos confronts Gamora with a vision from her past—and with lying to him about the Soul Stone.

Conclusion
While this is a fun movie, I have to say that the story itself doesn’t have much meat because when you see the ending you’ll definitely know that there’s more coming in Part II that will “fix” things back to how they should be. I don’t want to spoil it for those of haven’t seen it, but when you do you’ll know exactly what I mean. Regardless, I still enjoyed it and look forward to Part II when it hits theaters and the A/V presentation is outstanding. Highly recommended.

Plot
Howard Silk (Simmons) is a lowly cog in the bureaucratic machinery of a Berlin-based United Nations spy agency. When Howard discovers that his organization safeguards the secret of a crossing into a parallel dimension, he is thrust into a shadow world of intrigue, danger, and double cross . . . where the only man he can trust is his near-identical counterpart from this parallel world. The show explores themes of identity, fate, and lost love, posing the eternal question, “what if our lives could have been different?”

My Thoughts
My wife and I watched this on Starz earlier this year and watching it a second time allowed me to further get into the story and catch some minor tidbits I missed the first time though. The concept is brilliant and J.K. Simmons in the lead roles—yes, he plays two completely different personalities—is absolutely fantastic and probably Emmy-worthy. One thing that I hated about the cable presentation was the horrific video quality. Thankfully, that’s improved here but not by much. It’s still way too murky but at least the plethora of macro blocking is gone.

Video 4/5 (AVC)

Audio 4/5 (Dolby TrueHD 7.1)

Special Features:

Season Outlook

Inside the World of Counterpart (for all 10 Episodes—spoilers included)

Conclusion
I really enjoyed this one a lot and it’s good enough for multiple viewings mainly due to the unique storyline and the fabulous acting from Simmons. It will probably end up on a streaming service at some point in the near future if you don’t want to purchase, but I’m happy to add it to my collection. Recommended.

Plot
Narrated by Academy Award® winner* Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart), Dream Big: Engineering Our World is a spectacular look at man-made marvels that will forever transform the way you think about engineering. It celebrates the human ingenuity behind engineering marvels big and small and shows how engineers push the limits of innovation in unexpected and amazing ways. It is more than a movie — it’s part of a movement aimed at bringing engineering into the forefront of our culture. Dream Big is the first giant-screen film to answer the call of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) initiative, which aims to inspire kids of diverse backgrounds to become the innovators who will improve the lives of people across our entire planet as we head into the twenty-first century and beyond. That’s why the film will be accompanied by ongoing educational, museum and community efforts to expose young people from all backgrounds to what engineering is … and what it can conjure in the world.

My Thoughts
Of the two IMAX films being released this week, this has the better story as it goes around the world to look at engineering marvels. Like National Parks Adventure, the video presentation is picture perfect and contains some jaw-dropping visuals, especially some of the nighttime shots of cityscapes. The narrative is quite interesting as well and shows how human ingenuity continues to come up with new and innovative ways to cram more people into smaller spaces and helping third world countries adapt to the modern world.

Video 10/10 (MVC)

Audio 9/5 (Dolby Atmos)

Special Features:

Behind-the-scenes videos

Engineering Webisodes

Fun-packed Shorts

4K Trailers

Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray, and UV Digital Copy

Conclusion
I really enjoyed this documentary and actually learned a thing or two about how buildings are designed, and bridges are built. I believe this is already available on Netflix if you are interested in the educational aspects of the film, but it’s the 4K visuals that are worth the price of the disc. They are amazing. Highly recommended.

Plot
The power of America’s national parks is undeniable. Millions have packed up the family to hike through impossibly lush forests, to gaze upon towering cliffs and deep-plunging canyons, to witness the breathtaking arcs of natural history, and, most of all, to share moments of wonder amid the protected treasures of this land.

A MacGillivray Freeman film produced in association with Brand USA and narrated by Academy Award® winner* Robert Redford, National Parks Adventure is acclaimed filmmaker Greg MacGillivray’s most visually ambitious giant-screen film to date — a film that offers not only a sweeping overview of the national parks’ history, but is equal parts adrenaline-pumping odyssey and soulful reflection on what the wilderness means to us all.

My Thoughts
IMAX footage looks amazing in 4K and there’s no exception here. The tale of the National Parks is interesting, but it’s the eye candy that makes this worth watching at least once. Detail is mesmerizing and if looks as if you can just walk into the picture due to its amazing depth of field. Sure, it was also filmed in 3D (with a 3D copy included in this set), but I prefer the 4K version because of the added color depth and HDR color grading.

Video 10/10 (MVC)

Audio 8.5/5 (Dolby Atmos)

Special Features:

Making-Of National Parks Adventure

Bonus Videos

4K IMAX Trailers

Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray, and UV Digital Copy

Conclusion
There’s the usual propaganda narrative in this documentary, but I just tuned it out and enjoyed the amazing visuals. If you have a 4K display and you want to show it off to friends and family, this disc would definitely drop some jaws. Recommended.

Attached Images

]]>Blu-ray Software Review ForumDavid Vaughnhttp://www.hometheaterequipment.com/threads/8988-National-Parks-Adventure-(4K-UHD-Blu-ray)-reviewReady Player One (UHD Blu-ray) reviewhttp://www.hometheaterequipment.com/threads/8986-Ready-Player-One-(UHD-Blu-ray)-review?goto=newpost
Sun, 22 Jul 2018 16:23:30 GMTAttachment 6359 (http://www.hometheaterequipment.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=6359)
*Plot*
In the year 2045, the real world is a harsh place....

Plot
In the year 2045, the real world is a harsh place. The only time Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) truly feels alive is when he escapes to the OASIS, an immersive virtual universe where most of humanity spend their days. In the OASIS, you can go anywhere, do anything, be anyone—the only limits are your own imagination. The OASIS was created by the brilliant and eccentric James Halliday (Mark Rylance), who left his immense fortune and total control of the OASIS to the winner of a three-part contest he designed to find a worthy heir. When Wade conquers the first challenge of the reality-bending treasure hunt, he and his friends—known as the High Five—are hurled into a fantastical universe of discovery and danger to save the OASIS and their world.

My Thoughts
My daughter is a big fan of the book and wasn’t sure if it was possible to adapt the story into a movie format, although she gave it a thumbs-up on its effort. Granted, she said a lot was changed but screenwriter Zak Penn along with the book’s author, Ernest Cline, were able to get an adaptation that didn’t get too heavy into the details and director Steven Spielberg does his usual excellent job at presenting the material. The cinematography is outstanding as the real and VR worlds are traveled back and forth between and the young actors give a good portrayal of their characters, especially Tye Sheridan in the lead.

Video 9.5/10 (MVC)

Audio 9.5/10 (Dolby Atmos)

Special Features:

Game Changer: Cracking the Code

Effects for a Brave New World

Level Up: Sound for the Future

High Score: Endgame

Ernie & Tye’s Excellent Adventure

The ‘80’s: You’re the Inspiration

Blu-ray UV Digital Copy

Conclusion
I wasn’t sure if I’d like this or not, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I loved the pop culture references to my youth and found the score from Alan Silvestri to be an added component to the presentation that I particularly enjoyed. If you’re a fan of sci-fi movies, this one is right up your ally. Highly recommended.

Plot
In this edgy and darkly humorous Western, a mysterious young woman rides into the lawless town of Redemption to settle an old score that has haunted her since she was a child. She becomes swept up in a deadly quick-draw tournament and, in order to win her revenge, must compete in a contest in which gunslingers from all over put their lives on the line for fame and fortune.

My Thoughts
Somehow, I didn’t see this film back in 1995 and it wasn’t until last night that I finally got to experience it. Sharon Stone gets top billing here as the star as well as a producer and does a commendable job with the material, although at times I felt she forced the issues. The real fun was seeing a young Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio before the two of them became household names and superstars, and you can certainly see why here. They both steal every scene they’re in and even though DiCaprio was 21 when this was made, he looked like he’s 15—talk about a baby face!

The movie itself is harmless fun with a lot of campiness, which Sam Raimi seems to excel at. It’s somewhat predictable but there are a lot of laughs and the A/V presentation is astounding given the film’s age.

Video 9.5/10 (MVC)

Audio 9.5/10 (Dolby Atmos)

Special Features:

Seven Never-Before-Seen Deleted Scenes

Theatrical Trailer

Blu-ray UV Digital Copy

Conclusion
We had some family over and watched this as a big group and everyone had a great time. There are a lot of laughs and while the story isn’t very original, the actors are able to raise the quality of the movie experience. Recommended.